Lamu fishermen slaughter goat on the streets to protest delayed KPA compensation

By Abdulrahman Hassan

Lamu island fishermen on Friday took to the streets to demand justice from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) for taking over their fishing grounds.

The fishermen, who said they were adversely impacted by the construction of the Lamu port, presented a detailed memorandum to the authority urging them to fulfil a court directive issued in 2018 to compensate them.

Lamu Beach Management Unit (BMU) Chairman Somo M. Somo, addressing the press outside the KPA offices, emphasized the urgency of the situation, giving the authority a strict ultimatum of 14 days to settle their dues.

Failure to comply, he warned, would lead to escalated protests in major cities like Mombasa and Nairobi, with a promise to disrupt transportation services until justice is served.

The fishermen were backed by advocacy groups like the ‘Save Lamu’ as well as the Katiba Institute when they presented their memorandum to KPA.

"We will continue to demonstrate until the Kenya Ports Authority pays our dues. If they fail to do so, we will bring everything to a halt in Lamu. No boats or planes will depart from Lamu, effectively paralyzing the transportation sector,” said Mr. Somo.

The fishermen, frustrated by years of waiting, resorted to a symbolic ritual of slaughtering a goat and seeking divine intervention to expedite their compensation and to curse those they claim are hindering their rightful claims.

According to Abubakar Twalib, BMU Chairman in Lamu, this act was a poignant plea to the heavens after exhausting legal avenues that yielded little success.

"We are exhausted from adhering to legal processes and attending fruitless meetings. This led us to symbolically slaughter an animal, seeking divine intervention from God to assist us in obtaining what rightfully belongs to us," stated Twalib.

The fishermen’s road to justice faced a setback in 2023 when the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) uncovered irregularities in the compensation list.

Allegations of corruption surfaced when 569 ‘ghost fishermen’ were removed from the list, while 433 legitimate claimants were added.

As a result, EACC has involved the courts in a bid to rectify the situation and ensure fair compensation for the deserving fishermen.